Getting to Know Is Getting to Like: Implicit Cognitive Progress Can Awaken Liking

Aparna A. Labroo, University of Chicago, USAYing Zhang, University of Texas at Austin, USAAyelet Fishbach, University of Chicago, USA

We demonstrate that a recent increase in accessibility (i.e., the subjective feeling that a stimulus is getting more familiar) influences interest in a stimulus, which determines evaluation after a short delay. Interest results from feeling stimulated and builds over time, and it is independent of pleasantness, which reflects immediate accessibility and is insensitive to change.